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Cleaning gunk off bit?

I picked up a silver-colored (don't know if it's stainless or what) bit with a copper roller. It has "gunk" on it that I'm trying to get off! I've tried using water and my hand, but can't quite get it all. I am not sure what to try using that will remove the stuff, but be safe for horses. Suggestions?

Hmm...I've always just used hot water and soak time to loosen up the hay/grass/spit, then followed up with a toothbrush or something similar (pipe cleaners, bailing twine; anything I can feed through or around joints).

I soak them in hot water with some Ammonia added. Not alot. Just a quarter cup to a quart of hot water. Let it soak for half an hour or until the water is cold. Never had this fail. Then I spray the bit with clean water and they sparkle like new.

I use one of those green felt-like plastic scrubby pads you can buy cheaply by the packet for scrubbing pots and pans. Like a Brillo pad, but plastic rather than metal. That and some clean water is all it takes for bit crusties.